Twinning at Thanksgiving

Holiday greetings from deep in the heart of Texas.

We enjoyed our traditional Thanksgiving Trek into the Hill Country last week, which always includes a hike. This year we chose Palmetto State Park, and that's where we found this tree heart.

We also felt this natural love on a walk through Panther Canyon.

It spoke directly to me as this holiday without our moms and with my stepmom on hospice weighed heavy on our hearts. We are so thankful for family-time respite and togetherness as we heal.

We are, indeed, covered in blessings.

I tried my hand at my mom's pumpkin chiffon pie ...

... and it tasted almost as delicious as hers always did.

Fun story from last year's trip: We were shopping after we hiked Enchanted Rock in Fredericksburg when a little Scottish plaid dress caught John's eye. "Hey Gruene, check this out." he said. "I've got a flannel shirt in this very same pattern at home." I asked if he was sure, then suggested that we buy one for the baby that Jacob and Victoria were expecting in February, our first grandchild, whose name we didn't even know back then.

We set it aside and ... what a difference a year makes!

Here they are, two of my sweeties, twinning at Thanksgiving!

And because I'm grateful for you, dear reader, I spent some time yesterday 

creating these word search puzzles to complement my two picture books.

Click the picture to download the puzzle you want. 

You will find that, for simplicity, most of the words go 

horizontally and vertically, but there are a few diagonal ones.

I've also found some fun cardinal stickers to share with readers

when I go on my school visits. Next up, I'll be in Grafton and

Cedarburg in Wisconsin, and I can't wait to meet my new friends.

Here's the merry & bright, from my heart to yours.